on friday, November 13, 2009, Tinna Lynn Diebel got out of work at 6:00 pm. she was walking across the street to her home when she was struck by a truck. she flew over it, and was run over by another car. The man driving the truck was neither drunk or speeding. she had crossed four lanes of traffic and had stepped out from behind another car. it was dark by this time, and he did not see her. The driver called 911, and the local fire company, which her boyfriend stephen kowalski was a part of, came to the scene. luckily, because he was new, he was sent to direct traffic. the medic who took care of her, a man she called, Uncle Pauly, did not recognize her until his close friend, her dad, came and asked how bad she was.
she was taken by mercy flight to the hospital, where they detected no brain activity. she was completely braindead, and there was no way she could recover. if they kept her on life support, she would be a vegetable (for lack of better word) for the rest of her life. friends of hers went to the hospital to see her, and they couldnt recognize her at all. she was destroyed. Her parents decided to donate what organs they could and take her off life support.
she officially died early saturday morning. she was cremated, because, as her mother put it, "she didn't like to get dirty, and she didn't like the cold."
Tinna was one of my best friends, since fourth grade. we graduated together, the spring of 2009. she attended VillaMaria college, for Early Childhood Education. SHe worked at a daycare center.
she has two sisters, Sabrina, 10, and Caitlyn, 7. the three sisters were extremely close. She lived with her mom and dad.
i found out by text. a friend texted me and said "did you hear about tinna? she got hit by a car and died." i didn't believe it; there was a rumor in the past about another friend being hit by a car and dying. i called her phone, and it went straight to voicemail. i called her house and her uncle answered. i asked for her, and, after a pause, he said, "she's dead, hon." I was at another best friend's house, and she was staring at me; i had read her the text. when i hung up the phone, she asked me what was going on. i stared at her and said, "they took her off life support this morning." then we fell to the floor and cried. All i can hear is her uncle, repeating "she's dead, hon" in my head. i cant look at a car without seeing her blood on it. i'm afraid of the road... i'm completely broken. i feel like im missing some vital organ like my heart or lungs... and i keep having viscious nightmares. i miss her so much...
Tinna Diebel was a bright, bubbly girl, talkative and animated. She grew into her own, and became a beautiful girl. her vitality was contagious, and none could stay sad for long in her prescence. she was bursting with energy. she even had her own facial expression, the Tinna Face, one that no one can duplicate correctly. Everyone knew her, and loved her. at Iroquois High School, if you didn't know Tinna, you were either sheltered, or a freshman, with not enough time in high school to know her. a member of little theater and Drama club, float and Holly Hanging, she had a flair for creativity and dramatics. she defned the word DIVA, in a good way.
i am one of her best friends. we had so much fun together, and i dont have a high school memory without her in it. Part of the difficulty accepting her passing is trying to imagine her sitting still enough to be dead. She and i learned in science class together in 7th grade that energy cannot perish, that it must go somewhere. i believe that this is not the end, but the beginning, of tinna's adventure... she's probably in heaven Painting Mary's nails, or teaching Jesus to dance. that's the kind of person Tinna was. I'll bet her wings are the sparkliest; she shone like the sun, and LOVED glitter. if she saw us crying, she would say, "WHY in HELL are you wasting your time?!?!? live, people, LIVE!!!!!"
Still, we are all devastated. our hearts are broken, and our lives will never be the same. she and i used to plan our lives together, plan to be bridesmaids in each other's weddings, plan to hang out and let our children play together. just because she's passed doesn't mean we can't proceed with atleast some of those plans... at my wedding, there will be a gap in my bridesmaid lineup at the altar, a spot for her to stand and smile. because i know she wouldn't miss it for the world.
if i may ask of you whom are religious, please include tinna, her family, and her friends in your prayers, no matter who you pray to, no matter where you are. Because those roadside crosses are everywhere, and it took losing one of my own to realize the strength of their meanings. Before i looked at them with interest, thinking about their beauty. now i will see them for what they are: the markers of where the portal to heaven opened to admit a cherished soul. each one symbolizes someone that was loved, someone that had family, friends, something to go home to. Now i understand. and i'm sorry it took this much.
i am glad that her parents were strong and decided to take her off life support. she was to vivacious and peppy to spend the rest of her life still and thoughtless, a shell of what she used to be... better for her to be freed of that prison, and bounce off the walls of heaven. She would be happier that way...

this is her roadside memorial [link]
<3

rest in peace, Tinna Lynn Diebel. though your time here is done, our love for you will continue on.
ill see you, someday...